AN – A million thanks to Chartreusian for finishing writing this for me. After a string of rather exhausting and horrid events in my life I had to hand it over half finished. On the bright side that means I can totally blame her for the unrealistic sex scenes ;) her words, not mine.

The god is Poseidon.

Go forth and relish in smut.

"Magnus, Sally wants to see you." Will poked his head around her office door as Helen stood straight from the filing cabinet. She glanced at the clock to see it was coming up on midday and she was yet to find the time to eat. From the clock she looked at her desk and her to do list. "She says it's important..." he added, noting her hesitation. It wasn't as though she didn't want to go see her mer-friend, more that she was so far behind on everything she was supposed to be doing. Since moving into the new Sanctuary, Helen had expected a lighter work load. It seemed the opposite had happened. She knew that it would quiet down soon, but right now she just wanted to focus.

Sighing, she nodded. "Can you tell her I'll be down in twenty minutes? I have two incident reports from yesterday to read and sign and then I'll be right there."

Will left the room without another word. Walking down the halls he passed Tesla heading toward Magnus' office.

"Huggybear…" he nodded toward Will. Since their move into to the underground Nikola and Will had come to an uneasy truce. Neither of them were friendly, but they both cared for Helen and to them, she was worth putting their differences aside.

"She's flat out in there…"

Tesla considered ignoring Will and continuing through for a moment before stopping. It had been over a week since he'd been able to spend any quality time with Helen, but he knew it was what he'd signed up to when he decided to finally admit how desperately he loved her. Stopping, he turned and walked with Will. "I understand how much it all means to her, but you'd think she'd take a break, even just a day…"

"Geez, Tesla. Anyone would think you miss her," Will joked before turning slightly to see the look of confirmation on his face. "Well… that's... unexpected…"

"Hardly."

"I still don't understand what she sees in you."

Tesla snarled, knowing it wasn't worth getting into before turning down a corridor and heading toward his lab.

Opening the door he walked to his desk, picked up an envelope and left the lab as quickly as he came. Smiling to himself, he knew that his patience (a virtue he certainly wasn't born with) was soon to pay off. Missing Helen would soon have been worth it.

x—x

Helen hung up the phone and looked at her clock again. It had been nearly an hour since she told Will that she'd be twenty minutes. Standing from her desk she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and walked briskly from her office, nearly running headfirst into Henry.

"Sorry Henry, I can't really stop, is it urgent?"

Henry shook his head. "I've just been sent up to drag you to see Sally." Helen couldn't help but smile at Henry's sheepish face. He hated disturbing her when she was busy.

The walk to Sally's tank was brisk, both exchanging information on the running of the new Sanctuary. Everything had gone more than smoothly. In fact, once all the residents were relocated, there hadn't been any major dramas. Running the Sanctuary away from the prying eyes of various governments had proved beneficial in that respect.

Helen put her hand up to the glass of Sally's tank and closed her eyes, allowing images and words to fill her mind.

"The south of France, of all places?"

Sally nodded softly.

"Well… you've never asked for anything like this before. Is there a particular reason?"

No images filled her mind this time, however a feeling of freedom filled her and Helen found herself entirely unable to deny Sally's request. Helen turned to Henry. "Please organise transport for Sally and I to Belle-Ile-en-Mer."

"Already done, it'll take about three hours to get Sally into a pressured porta-tank, but the plane's ready to go when you are."

Helen sighed. Taking three days off would put her further behind than she already was.

As she walked back to her office, she found Will following her. "Magnus. We have it covered. I swear if you take any work with you…"

"Will, I have to. I have so much to do."

"I'm sure you do. You always will, Magnus. Is any of it vital that you do it? Don't forget I'm more than qualified to do a lot of the work you insist on piling onto yourself."

x—x

"Has anyone seen Nikola?"

Helen was ready to leave, her suitcases were packed, Sally was safely loaded into the plane. All that was left to do was to say goodbye to her arrogant vampire, and apparently he was nowhere to be found.

She looked around as everyone shook their heads. Sighing, a wave of disappointed washed over her. "Okay, can someone just… tell him I'll see him in a few days."

x—x

Settling into the seat of her private and custom built jet, Helen felt her body begin to relax somewhat. By her side was a briefcase loaded with notes and files she knew she needed to start on but it was as if every mile they put between her and the underground 'lair' as it had jokingly been termed, only served to let her responsibilities slide further from her mind.

The only niggling worry she had was Nikola. It wasn't that he couldn't take care of himself, it was that... well, it had a lot to do with how much she seemed to be missing him these days. She hadn't admitted as much to him, mentally telling herself that she just didn't have the time but she knew there was a fair bit of fear surrounding the decision too.

Steeling herself, Helen pushed all thoughts of Nikola from her mind and turned to her briefcase. Not thinking about him at all was entirely impossible; he always managed to sneak into her thoughts but she did her best and, within an hour, she'd successfully recreated the headache she had been struggling with for days.

Frowning, Helen fumbled for another folder absently. There was something with the figures...

Suddenly, the plane jolted uncomfortably, spilling half of her glass of water over the file she'd been puzzling out.

Helen was ashamed to say she did in fact screech at the motion, clutching the table desperately for a second before she caught herself and leapt into action. The reports, however, were beyond ruined.

Anger suddenly bubbled up inside Helen. This was why she preferred to fly her own plane, at least then she could predict when such jolts could occur.

And warn her passengers.

Then the plane jolted again, spilling more water but this time Helen merely sighed. With the two tissues she found in a pocket, she tried her best to clean up the spill. In the end she gave up, crumpling the notes into a soggy ball. Carefully, and with a silent curse at the stilettos she hadn't thought to change out of, she picked her way across the cabin to deposit the mess into the bin.

Clinging to a seat back, Helen then turned towards the cockpit and bit her lip. No one had been particularly forthcoming with details of her trip so she wasn't sure who was piloting the craft and, if it was one of the younger abnormals, she was loath to criticise them. Yet, in the same breath, turbulence like this was something that she should have been informed of.

Sighing heavily, she moved cautiously towards the polished cherry door that separated the main cabin from the cockpit. Perhaps a gentle rebuke would do...

Lifting her hand, she knocked once softly before pushing the door open.

"I don't mean to intruuuuu-."

"Oh please do, this damn thing won't play nice," Nikola said, sounding faintly panicked.

He turned, looking at her pleadingly as Helen stood, dumbfounded.

"Helen!" he cried. "Stop staring and do something!"

His snappish tone jolted her from her shocked revere and she sprung forward, pushing him from the pilots seat and sliding in herself. Nikola relinquished the controls happily, slipping into the co-pilots seat with what sounded remarkably like a relieved sigh.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, carefully getting the aeroplane back under control before she turned to look at him properly.

"Surprise?" he said weakly, giving her a sheepish smile.

"I repeat," she barked, narrowing her eyes. "What the hell are you doing? And what did you do with my pilot?"

He blinked at her for a second before a grin split his features.

"Are you telling me that I succeeded?" he asked, incredulous.

"In pissing me off, yes," she bit back, checking to make sure he hadn't destroyed any of the controls. Once she was certain they were on the right course and the autopilot was on, she turned in her chair, crossing her arms firmly.

Nikola was still grinning inanely at her, hands perched lightly on his crossed legs.

"Out with it, Nikola," she said with a sigh, trying to ignore the flutter that settled in her heart at seeing him again.

"Oh my darling Helen," he began theatrically, holding his arms out wide. "Dear, darling, clueless Helen. Can't you see, we're going on a holiday!"

Excitement radiated off of him in waves and Helen felt herself starting to smile despite her best efforts.

"What about Sally?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Nikola chuckled indulgently, still enjoying having pulled one over on her.

"You didn't check the cargo hold, did you?"

"You mean to tell me that you purposefully left her behind? Nikola, how could you do such a thing!"

He rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head in dismay.

"Your blonde is showing," he said cheekily, eyes sparkling. "Honestly, Helen, do you really think I'd leave someone behind? Sally was never coming, this was always just going to be..." he swallowed and looked strangely uncomfortable, "us."

Suddenly heat flooded Helen's cheeks and she turned back to the controls of the plane. Better to focus on that than the strange feelings rushing through her veins.

"We... I thought you could use some time away," he added, voice sounding a little thicker than usual.

Helen had no answer to that.

Nikola shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside her, clearing his throat once.

"You work too hard," he added after a beat.

"So the others," she started, "Will, Henry, Sally, they were all in on this?"

"Surprisingly enough, William supported my idea wholeheartedly. Though he did ask not to be informed of the specifics of our vacation."

Helen smirked at Nikola's rather dirty tone.

"Ah, there we go," Nikola continued. "A smile! Does that mean I win?"

Laughing, Helen shook her head and risked a glance over to him. Something, she quickly realised, that was a big mistake. He was lounging in the chair as if it had been built specifically for his lanky frame. His hair was a little tamer than usual but his vest was unbuttoned and his dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. All he needed was a glass of wine and, with a salacious wink, Helen knew she would have been on him like a rash. It really had been too long since they'd spent any decent amount of time together...

Nikola chuckled, breaking into her moment of admiration.

"I am starting to wish I'd have thought to bring a pilot with us," he said huskily, eyes glowing with something that made Helen squirm in her seat.

"As am I," she told him curtly. "Then perhaps all my files might still be readable."

Again, Nikola chuckled.

"Who's to say that wasn't part of the plan?"

"The evidence points to the contrary."

Nikola raised an eyebrow.

"Who is now flying the plane?"

For a second he narrowed his eyes in the closest Helen expected him to come to admitting defeat before he stood smoothly.

"I'll leave you to that, then," he said, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "I'll go get ready for when we land," he added huskily but before she could turn her head to steal a kiss, he was gone, sauntering from the room and leaving Helen frustrated on two counts.

Damn that man to hell.

...

"Another fruity drink complete with little umbrella?"

Smiling, Helen looked up through her oversized sunglasses.

"Thank you," she said, taking the large glass from Nikola and settling back into her arm chair.

"You're going to get burnt," Nikola told her, settling into the lounge beside her. Helen merely shrugged and took a long sip of her drink before taking an equally long and indulgent look at her vampire companion. He was, much to her pleasure, wearing the tightest, shortest, most mouth-watering swimming trunks in the history of revealing bathers.

It had taken eight solid hours of pleading and pouting to get him into them the first time she'd asked but, seeing how quickly he'd ended up out of them, he'd put up no complaint today when she'd tossed them in his direction that morning.

Day two of their miniature holiday had started out in a rather lazy fashion which, after the long and athletic night of lovemaking, was unsurprising. Ever since arriving yesterday morning they had struggled to keep their hands off of one another. Or, at least, they had once Helen had forgiven him for essentially kidnapping her.

"Stop staring," Nikola half growled. "Or we'll scare the other tourists."

Helen smirked but turned away, sipping her drink.

"There are no other tourists, Nikola," she reminded him. "Private beach and all that. I wasn't about to put poor Sally on display for the rest of the world to see."

"I knew there was a reason I wanted you to sunbathe without your top," he mused.

"I didn't get very much sun," she commented dryly. "You had me back inside in less than five minutes."

"Your costume is very distracting."

Helen watched as his eyes drifted from the stunning beach before them to the tight and tasteful one piece she'd chosen to wear today. Nikola had, in anticipating of the trip, packed a suitcase for her that was full of tiny, tiny bikinis. While she'd indulged him in the first, the dark red one piece she now wore was much more to her tastes.

Shifting her hips subtly, Helen sent him a tiny look that, much to her pleasure, elicited the softest groan from Nikola.

"That's it," Nikola said tightly, standing abruptly. "Toss off that ridiculously large hat and come inside. Now."

Giggling, Helen looked him up and down. His balled fists were perched on his hips, just on the seam of his lovely dark trunks.

Sighing happily, she shifted to better admire his wiry frame.

"Hurry up," he snapped, pursing his lips.

"Actually, I believe I'm perfectly fine right here."

Lowering her sunglasses, she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Helen..."

"A little to the left, if you'd please. You're blocking the sun," she told him calmly.

"I'm not kidding."

"And neither am I, now kindly shift."

With a growl, Nikola plucked the hat from Helen's head and tossed it aside before giving her sunglasses the same treatment. She heard the smash of her glass before she realised what was happening and it was only three seconds after Nikola tossed her over his shoulder that she thought to give a shriek.

"Nikola!" she cried in alarm, so confused she didn't take the opportunity he had afforded her to stare down at his arse. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"You're getting too saucy," he told her as the marched across the sand. "I'm going to cool you off, perhaps then you'll revert to the much more amenable version of yourself."

Squirming, Helen slapped at his bare back and kicked out wildly at the arms holding her in place but he didn't even falter in his steps. Craning her head, Helen watched as the water got closer and closer and closer, thinking up a thousand unpleasant deaths for her vampire to suffer in punishment.

"I hate you," she hissed as the waves started to lap around his toes. "You are going to pay for this!"

"Probably," he allowed, still strolling out into the water. Helen watched as it edged higher and higher and higher up his lovely legs.

"Put me down," she tried. "This is demeaning and wholly unfair. Who said I had to be amenable?"

"Perhaps I used the wrong word," he said, slowing a little. "What I meant to say is that this is revenge for being too attractive for your own good. You are too hot Miss Magnus, so I'm going to cool you off."

The water was getting dangerously high now.

"Nikola..."

He chuckled, squeezing her thighs lightly.

"Put me down now or so hel-"

Her threat was very neatly cut off by his unceremonious dumping of her body into the waves.

Screeching, Helen flailed about, salt water flying up her nose, into her eyes and straight down her throat. It took her a few seconds to reorientate herself, splashing about in a very undignified manner before finding her feet. With a huff, she pushed the now wet hair from her eyes, glaring daggers at Nikola who seemed far too amused by it all.

He was just standing there, hands on hips, cocky grin and there was not a hair out of place.

"I hate you," she swore, hands balling into fists. "You are utterly insufferable."

Nikola opened his mouth to respond with what she was sure would be a witty little comeback but she cut him off, sweeping her arm through the water to soak him. He spluttered, stumbling back as he blinked the salt water from his now dripping hair but Helen was too quick, launching herself at him before he could find his feet.

Together they crashed into the water, Nikola's arms tightening around her waist as they were tumbled and jumbled about beneath the water.

One hand in his hair, Helen felt about for the sea floor with her feet before surging upwards, gasping down breath whilst working hard to hold Nikola beneath the surface. He was too strong though, pulling her hand from his hair and emerging with an angry gleam in his eye.

"That was uncalled for," he gasped, coughing up a little sea water.

"You're telling me," she retorted, eyes narrowing. His hand around her wrist tightened.

"I could have died!"

Helen snorted and tried to break free of his grip. Nikola, however, held strong, his free arm snaking around her waist and jerking her closer.

"Nikola..." Helen started but within seconds his warm lips were on hers and she forgot why she was pretending to be so affronted by his actions. He was so very lovely and warm in comparison to the water that swelled to their hips and Helen found she had no choice but to cling to him as the kiss sapped away her higher brain function.

Nikola's arms slipped down her body quickly and he dipped slightly before Helen found her legs wrapped around his waist, his hands clutching her arse. With the new angle, Helen found herself grinding against his shamelessly as, for some reason he walked them further into the waves.

"Nikola," she gasped into his mouth. "Take me back inside."

"Can't," he grunted. "Someone might see."

"See what?"

He growled against her lips and held her a fraction closer so that the bulge in his swimmers pressed against her more firmly. Helen tightened her thighs around his hips as the waves crashed against their heated skin. The thought that it was a private beach didn't even cross her mind.

Instead she attacked him with teeth, lips, and tongue, biting at his throat until she felt one of his hands sneak between them, pulling at her wet bathers beneath the surface of the water. Helen shifted obligingly as much as his hold would allow and somehow, with only a minimum of awkward fumbling, his fingers were stroking deep within her.

Moaning against his lips, Helen found herself panting in moments. Between the public setting (something she'd never admit turned her on but did all the same) and the dark mutterings Nikola let out every time she thrust her hips back against her hand, she found herself aroused far too quickly.

Nikola, it seemed, was some kind of telepath when it came to such things (a power she should have learnt not to doubt), pulled his fingers out just as Helen felt her body begin to tighten and she moaned at the lost contact. Of course, he knew what she needed though and, in a flash she could feel him poised at her entrance.

"You're the insufferable one," he murmured against her lips. Sinking her teeth into his bottom lip, Helen stifled her response with a moan as he sank into her.

"We should holiday more often," Helen gasped huskily as they started to move.

"Plan on it," Nikola growled in response.

And after that... well, they made the most of their holiday.

AN – Review? Ya?